Longstreet Slept Here: Headquarters Museum at Russellville, TN (12/1863 - 2/1864)

That's what I keep wondering! Also, in what condition was the home left when the generals departed? Gosh, I hope they were good to the family.
They would move to another room. Southern generals were always nice to the locals and the condition of the house was just as they found it if not better. Most of the time the family invited them to stay. It was not that way with yankee generals that commandeered Southern homes.
 
They would move to another room. Southern generals were always nice to the locals and the condition of the house was just as they found it if not better. Most of the time the family invited them to stay. It was not that way with yankee generals that commandeered Southern homes.

And normally there people had family scattered around the area who would take you in temporarily.

As you say, people readily offered their homes; the generals were heroes and it was an honor.

But of course it changes the case when Yankees showed up at your door. Nobody was offering them anything and the nicer the house the more likely they'd be to burn it down when they left.
 
Scarlett O'Hara was not too welcoming to the Yankee who entered Tara. :byebye:

I'm trying to remember how the Yankees treated the Shirley House on the Vicksburg battlefield. I know it's still standing today so I know it wasn't burned. And the Shirleys were Union sympathizers. But I do feel more than a bit sorry for the families who were displaced when the battle came to their areas.
 
Those were great pictures, looks like you had a great time. Definitely on my "places to visit" list. Thank you for sharing, not only the pictures but the information, felt like I was there.
 
I'm not sure how much of the building is original, like doors and such, but a lot of the floor is. A couple of the boards near the door have been replaced, so I found the original ones, nearest the door, where I know Joe Kershaw would have walked and I put my foot on them for this picture. There's my foot -- on the same boards that JBK would have walked on in the winter of 1863/64. I know it's silly. But I wanted to recognize the significance of the moment and it was the best I could think of
And there are still bullet holes in the walls! 🤩

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And here's the bed from another angle. @ucvrelics slept here. :D There's a cool checkerboard that was sketched on the bottom of a drawer with a piece of charcoal but I can't seem to find that picture. Hopefully @Diane123 will post some of hers.
A charcoal checkerboard drawn onto the underside of this blanket chest drawer was found by the museum folks when they were cleaning the piece. No one in the family knew it existed! Hmmm…interesting!

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Great pictures and details Diane, I had never seen a rope bed before and those pictures you and Laura posted showed great detail. Thanks for posting, you two make a great team. :smile:
 
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